United States Marine Corps
Alex sprinting through a group of Marines]] Marines from the United States Marine Corps are the principal military force on the Manhattan island, tasked with containing the spread of the Blacklight virus. Background :Main article: United States Marine Corps A large detachment of Marines under the command of Colonel Ian Taggart have been folded under the command of the 1st Biological Warfare Command for the deployment on the quarantined Manhattan Island. Equipped with tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters, they are the public face of the occupation. Blackwatch considers them disposable tools - Marines are supposed to go in, take the losses, mark the targets and allow Blackwatch to mop up the infection. Once the operation is completed, they will also take the blame for the destruction and death toll. Although the marines fight alongside Blackwatch, they seem to have very little knowledge of who the Blackwatch personnel are, besides the fact that they were ordered by their marine superiors to obey orders from Blackwatch. Many marines have no knowledge of the different Blackwatch ranks or the engagement protocols that they follow. Storyline development By the time Alex Mercer awakes up in the GENTEK morgue and thus begins the game, martial law has been declared and New York City itself has been militarily occupied whilst the virus rages throughout it on epidemic proportions. While suffering from high casualties including the loss of Colonel Taggart himself, the marines eventually are able to contain the outbreak. What they do not realize however, is that Mercer has been secretly helping them (by attacking and consuming Elizabeth Greene, the root source of the viral madness). The various news reports during the game's credits are heard thanking the marines for their brave sacrifices. Equipment The Marines' equipment is composed of largely the same materials used by Blackwatch: Assault Rifles, Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Missile Launcher. Their vehicle pool includes Armored Personal Carriers, Tanks, Gunships, and Transport Helicopters. The Marines also have some other, more exotic equipment at their disposal, such as UAVs. Ranks Marine :Main article: Marine The Marines are well trained soldiers. They are equipped with battle dress uniforms with tactical vests and combat webbing, a load bearing pack, a tactical helmet with a black balaclava and weapons depending on their specialty - anything ranging from the basic M4 to the Javelin missile launcher. Curiously, their uniforms are devoid of any patches or insignia. Marine officer :Main article: Marine officer Equipped in a similar way to regular marines, officers are distinguishable by their eight-pointed service caps, black sunglasses and rolled up sleeves. Their rank insignia is displayed on both sleeves and is that of a staff non-commissioned officer. Usually, they are armed with an M4 assault rifle. Pilot :Main article: Pilot Outfitted the same as their Blackwatch equivalents, pilots wear woodland camo fatigues, a kevlar vest and a pilot helmet with a shaded visor. When they are on the ground, they are armed with pistols. When they are flying a helicopter, they are unarmed. Notable characters * Colonel Ian Taggart Trivia *A Web of Intrigue target reveals that the military estimates 1000 to 2500 marines would die per week during the quarantine. However, this estimate was likely based on information gained from the Hope, Idaho outbreak. Since the virus devestating New York had a lower mortality rate for infected victims, this would mean the Marines would be facing a much different situation from Hope and therefore likely would have sustained higher casulaties. *The Marines are not the only branch of the US military deployed to Manhattan, though they are undoubtedly the largest and most obvious. US Army Apaches serve as gunships throughout the island, and Air Force F-22 Raptors are glimpsed in cutscenes performing patrols in unison with Marine F-35B Lightning IIs over the waters surrounding Manhattan. The US Navy carrier Ronald Reagan serves as an auxiliary base and refueling point for overflight patrols. *While the military combatants in the game are portrayed and characterized as the US Marines (with the exception of Blackwatch, a special forces unit), many of the cutscenes from the Web of Intrigue show soldiers wearing the United States Army Combat Uniform. *The Marines can be seen fighting alongside Alex from time to time, especially when one hears the order on the radio to attack other creatures with everything else being overlooked for that time. Rarely, Marines will shoot at the Blackwatch soldiers, most likely Alex has contacts or friends from within the military that defected against Blackwatch, The Marines have 3 different uniforms: Normal, Commander, and Pilot. *If Mercer assumes a military officer disguise (Blackwatch or Marine), then it is possible to have lower ranking troopers to follow him. This often occurs when the player assists the military cornered by infected (typically in Hive center zones), with the nearby military-operated vehicles following the player. *Web of Intrigue targets suggest that during the latter stages of the outbreak on Manhattan, Marines would begin to distrust Blackwatch commanders after Blackwatch troopers opened fire on several Marines. This could suggest the Marines would change their role of wiping out any civilians and instead begin to protect them. Category:Military Category:Factions Category:Marines